A judge has sentenced Trump to unconditional discharge. What does that mean?

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Justice Juan Merchan sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge on Friday. New York state law says unconditional discharge is a sentence handed down “without imprisonment, fine or probation supervision.” The law adds that the sentence is appropriate when a judge “is of the opinion that no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant’s release.” It’s Merchan’s way of closing the case without interfering with Trump’s presidency. Other New York cases where defendants have been sentenced to unconditional discharges include an attorney who pleaded guilty to falsifying business records in the second degree after being charged with submitting payment vouchers with false information, an attorney who didn’t pay their taxes, yet another attorney who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor official misconduct, a conviction after refusing to submit to a field sobriety test in a case of driving under the influence, and the attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, as well as the attempted possession of ammunition, MSNBC noted. In an 18-page decision last week, Merchan revealed that he was planning on handing Trump an unconditional discharge, stating that it seemed to be “the most viable solution to ensure finality.” Merchan made clear in his statement Friday that he was making a difference between Trump the person and Trump the president-elect, saying that it’s the office of the president that should receive substantial legal protections, not the individual.